Sacramento Self-Help Housing (SSHH) began in 1990 as a housing counseling service out of Loaves & Fishes. At that time, the focus was to help homeless guests and community members navigate the rental housing market. Later that year, recognizing the need for a new model of Housing for its clients, SSHH began a shared housing program named "Friendship Housing." In 2000, we became recognized as a non-profit. SSHH continues to expand its housing and service-oriented programs while trailblazing the Housing First model.
SSHH works with families and individuals with exceedingly low incomes and is on fixed incomes, unemployed, underemployed, or employed in low-wage jobs. Households at these income levels face extreme barriers in locating and maintaining Housing in the Sacramento region, where average rents are rising rapidly. SSHH provides immediate assistance to this population through direct service while seeking long-term answers to the affordable housing crisis through ongoing advocacy, outreach, and continued program expansion. Some of our current programs include temporary and permanent Housing, housing location and counseling, affordable housing research, financial education, landlord-tenant helpline, community engagement, and outreach services. We work with over 20,000 households annually and partner with numerous organizations such as Dignity Health, WellSpace, HART (Homeless Assistance Resource Team), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the City and County of Sacramento.
Aside from providing direct services, SSHH is a resource to the unhoused community. We receive phone calls daily from all over the region; many clients and callers use our housing database or have questions about fair housing laws and rental processes.
Sacramento Self-Help Housing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that assists individuals and families with insufficient resources for adequate housing. We help people who are homeless, in crisis or have special needs to find stable, affordable housing. We have numerous programs for this purpose, including permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, financial education, tenant-landlord helpline, housing counseling, and community development.
The process of community reintegration after a stint of homelessness is complex and tasking on an individual or family. When SSHH places a client in one of our interim housing units, we promise to provide a stable and supportive environment so the program participant can grow and our transitional service providers can be safe and effective. As the managing organization, SSHH communicates directly to the landlords to fund repairs, furnishings, and services. This allows the guests to focus on reintegration and fosters a trusting partnership between SSHH and the property owners.
Upkeep is the single most significant expense within our housing programs. Your donations will directly impact the quality of life and safety of those involved in our interim housing units AND allow SSHH to create, sustain, and expand our relationships with our property-owning partners.
Local HART groups (Homeless Assistance Resource Teams) require volunteers. Active HART chapters are located in Elk Grove, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Orangevale/Fair Oaks, Arden Arcade, South Sacramento, North Sacramento, and Midtown Sacramento. Create resources for those most vulnerable by getting involved with HART. If there is no HART in your neighborhood, contact us, and let's start. Please see the website www.hartstogether.org or our program description page for more information!
Volunteers! - Sacramento Self-Help Housing is set to open ten program houses in 2024 to provide our community's most vulnerable with housing and supportive resources. We are holding a donation drive to collect and purchase supplies to help the families and individuals we enter into our program's transition to a life of permanent housing. Our annual donations drive, Housewarming for the Unhoused, will be held at the Cal Expo Main Gate loop on the first weekend of December.
As we work to achieve our mission we reaffirm our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We are proud to employ and serve people of all backgrounds who possess the talent, energy, and focus to accelerate our vision forward.
Organization name
Sacramento Self-Help Housing Inc.
other names
SSHH
Tax id (EIN)
68-0217383
Mission Category
Housing, Shelter
Operating Budget
$10,000,001-$100 million
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Volunteers, Funding: Unrestricted
Demographics Served
Veterans, Youth & Children
Address
P.O. Box 255547Sacramento, CA, US